2012-02-03 [Skydancer]: Excellent start. :)

2012-02-03 [Nioniel]: Really loved the tip about focusing then switching to manual. I feel much less frustrated while shooting now. :)

2012-02-03 [Skydancer]: I use that a lot. I often mark off an area, figure out the best central point or where the figure is going to be, focus at that point using the auto focus, mainly because it can do a better job than I can and I use a high contrast target. Book, a bottle with a good label on a mike stand, something along those lines. Then I try to mark the center of the pose area, if there is not something specific to work with like a chair. I usually put a penny on the floor so I know where the center of the focus is. I then set the aperature to about f8 or f11, with the camera on aperature priority and then just try to deal with the staying extremely still due to the very slow shutter speed that usually results. Sometimes I will put the camera on fully manual if I need to keep the exposures exactly the same throughout a set, as the exposure will change depending on how much skin the camera sees, as compared to cloth, or dark and so on. Once I get a good skin exposure then that is usually what I will go with. Takes a few shots of course since I have to get in position, shoot, then study the image on the camera. The histogram helps with that, and so does the exposure compensation. I can set it when necessary or if I am trying to balance the flash against the ambient light, or working with candles and such. It is not unusual to shoot 5 or ten shots to get the light right, then shoot the set.

2012-02-04 [Nioniel]: Awesome. I'll go over these tips again before I do my next shoot. :)

2012-02-18 [Skydancer]: More fun images. Practice practice and of course if you can get someone involved to work the camera, then you can explore that much more. :)

2012-02-18 [Nioniel]: :D

2012-02-18 [Skydancer]: I really need to write a tutorial on ninja nudes, the art of Guerrilla shooting the nude in public spaces.

2012-02-18 [Nioniel]: Please do! :)